Las Vegas

One of the most popular cities in the United State of America is the City of Las Vegas which is also called Vegas.

According to recent statistics of populations, it was ranked as the most populated city in the state of Nevada as well as the 28th-most populated city in the United States and the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. It is also the county seat of Clark County.

On the other hand, Las Vegas is a very beautiful and exciting city full of incredible locations, so it is internationally renowned as a major resort city.

Las Vegas is the city of gambling, shopping, pool parties, dayclubs, fine dining, entertainment, nightlife and many more.

Although it is known as a major touristic destination, Las Vegas Valley also serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada.

Many international media channels and magazines call Las Vegas “The Entertainment Capital of the World”, and the city has proved that it actually deserves the name.

People from all over the world, visit Vegas for its mega-casino–hotels, restaurants, clubs and other associated activities.

On the business side, Las Vegas is a leading country and ranked among the top three destinations in the United States for business conventions. It is also considered a global leader in the hospitality industry.

Besides all the above, today, Las Vegas is considered as one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations. It has everything you need for spending the best vacation ever, and it is also a very favorable setting for literature, films, television programs, and music videos.

Furthermore, the city allows many numerous forms of adult entertainment, so it was titled as the Sin City.

The History of Las Vegas

Since more than 100 years, Las Vegas was settled in 1905, then it was incorporated officially in 1911.

However, it only became the most populated American city founded within that century at the close of the 20th century. The population in the city has accelerated since the 1960s, then it was doubled between 1990 and 2000 thus increased by 85.2%.

This rapid growth has continued into the 21st century. According to an estimate made in 2017, the population is 648,224 with a regional population of 2,248,390.

“Las Vegas” is the name of the city, but it is also used to describe some areas beyond the official city limits. So, sometimes the name also comprises the areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip.

Weather in Las Vegas

Obviously, Las Vegas has a subtropical hot desert climate, as it lies in the Mojave Desert.

Therefore, it witnesses long, very hot summers, warm transitional seasons and short, mild to chilly winters. There are approximately 310 sunny days a year, and the average of bright sunshine is 86% of all daylight hours.

Additionally, there is no much rain even in winter as the average is only 4.2 in (110 mm) dispersed between roughly 26 to 27 total rainy days per year.

To sum up, we can describe Las Vegas as one of the sunniest, driest, and least humid locations in North America, but this is accompanied with exceptionally low dew points and humidity (it goes below 10% sometimes.)

The Summer in Las Vegas:

The months of June, July, August, and September are the summer seasons when the weather is very hot, though moderated by extremely low humidity. The hottest one is July, with an average daytime high of 104.2 °F (40.1 °C).

Although most summer days are very hot, dry, and cloudless, it is so common that this pattern is interrupted by the North American Monsoon which brings more cloud cover, increased humidity, thunderstorms, lightning, and brief spells of heavy rain especially in the months between July and August.

The Winter in Las Vegas:

The winter in Las Vegas is usually short and very mild, with chilly (but rarely cold) daytime temperatures. In this season, the sunshine is abundant, just as all other seasons.

The average daytime is as high as 56.6 °F (13.7 °C) as well as the sunshine occurs during 78% of its daylight hours even during the year’s coolest and cloudiest month, December.

The evening in winter is characterized by the clear skies and swift drops in temperature after sunset. You can witness some freezing temperatures (this may remain for 16 nights per winter).

Most of the rain in winter falls during February which is the wettest month, but even in that case, the averages of raining days is only a few days a month.

Best Times to Visit Las Vegas

Tourists visit Las Vegas all the year. However, if you want to enjoy the perfect weather, then the best time to visit Las Vegas is at spring and fall, from March to May and from September to November.

You can easily find plenty of good travel deals available throughout the whole year, but you have to check for the weather and special occasions before booking.

Additionally, an influx of visitors come to the Sin City during the winter months, especially at the Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Those usually are captivated by the casinos, nightclubs, and gamblings.

However, you can also find a lot of visitors at summer even when the daytime temperatures exceed 100 degrees, but those usually are attracted by the nightclubs, pool parties, dancing, music, etc.

The best tip given for any visitor is to plan a mid-week trip regardless when you decide to visit Vegas as you can find more available rooms at lower rates between Tuesday and Thursday.

Other than tourism, Las Vegas is also home to hundreds of conventions each year. Those usually drive up room rates. Therefore, check the city’s tourism board convention schedule before setting any travel dates and get an idea about which hotels are hosting what and when.

Industries in Las Vegas: Gaming and non-gaming industry

According to statistics made in 2015 regarding Las Vegas records:

Visitation increased 2.5% over 2014, so the number of tourists increased up to 42.3 million tourists.

Although there is a big number of tourists a year, the gambling revenue has stayed almost stagnant. As a result, the gambling industry is gradually losing its luster, which is forcing MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) and many other casino companies to bet more on the new, non-gaming economy.

The non-gaming moratorium in Las Vegas

Compared to 2014, 1.2 million more tourists in 2015 visited Las Vegas. What grabs our attention here is the fact that the gambling revenue grew only 0.7% during that period. The question here is that if these tourists are not gambling, then where are they spending their money instead?

The answer is obvious as, in recent years, Las Vegas experienced a massive economic shift in toward the non-gaming market which is increasing by time.

The non-gaming market includes hotels, restaurants, clubs, live entertainment etc, and their revenue has been growing in Las Vegas at faster rates than gambling and casinos.

Moreover, more than 21,000 conventions and business meetings are taking place every year, hosting nearly six million convention attendees.